Home
by SindyLoo
Summary: "Their house is cozy, a small two bedroom apartment, but it's not home. Home hasn't existed for Robin since he walked across the town line, since they said goodbye." Post 4x11; Robin struggles to make a home in his new life without Regina.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is just a little something I couldn't get out of my head since the winter finale, so I decided to write it- I haven't quite decided whether I want to make this a two-shot and add a chapter of Regina's POV yet or if I'm going to leave it at as one-shot. Leave a review, and let me know what you think, xox. **

**I own nothing; all characters belong to Adam, Eddy & ABC. **

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_Robin looks down at her and can't help but smirk as she withers beneath him, her body shivering with every stroke of his thumb against her skin, every brush of his lips on her knuckles. He's taking his time, wants to remember this forever, wants to feel this forever. _

_This is right._

_Never in his life did he imagine being with someone would feel this way, never expected that the woman who would make him feel whole would be someone other than Marian, and yet, here he is, his body pressed on top of hers, their legs tangled together, and he's never felt more whole. She's panting as quiet moans escape from the back of her throat, his name spilling from her lips in the most glorious, guttural sound he's ever heard. She's close, he can tell so he leans in to kiss her but suddenly her eyes are no longer filled with love and need, now they're filled with pain._

_They're no longer wrapped together in the plush bed she created with magic, now they're standing at the town line; their fingers are entwined as he walks backwards, his eyes locked on hers. He can feel the tears welling in his own eyes but he doesn't care, this wasn't supposed to happen, he had chosen her, they were supposed to be together and she would finally be happy. He continues to walk backwards, doomed to a world without his soulmate. _

_He feels the barrier against his back and he wants to run, run toward her but he knows he can't. So instead he crosses over, holds her hand until he feels them be pulled apart, by something too strong to fight, magic. He looks up and her face is gone, replaced by an open road and finally, he lets the tears fall freely down his face. _

He feels himself being pulled from his state of sleep and he shuts his eyes tightly hoping for five more minutes, five more minutes of dreaming, five more minutes of hope and of love. But his body works against him and his eyes open slowly and he curses under his breath when he realizes that she's not with him.

Even when his dreams are plagued with the memory of her face looking broken, tears threatening to fall, he doesn't want to wake, doesn't want to lose the memory of her face, of her touch, and he doesn't want to lose_ her_. The early morning sun is barely peeking through his window but it's there nonetheless and he needs to get up, start his day and provide for his family.

He throws his legs over his bed; _can he even call it a bed_ he wonders? It's a merely a couch that pulls out into a bed, nothing like the bed he dreams he is in, large and plush and engulfed in silk. Marian has the main bedroom and Roland the next. His son hadn't known life with two parents before so their sleeping arrangements were never questioned, he doesn't realize that most married couples share a bed.

Their house is cozy, a small two bedroom apartment, but it's not home. Home hasn't existed for Robin since he walked across the town line, since they said goodbye.

"I…"

"I know."

That was it, the last words they spoke to each other and every day he's wondered what she knew; there was so much he wanted to say to her, so much he wished he did. She knew he loved her, that much was clear to him, but he regretted never saying those words, directly. It was always _I'm in love with you_ or _I'm still in love with you_ but, it was never _I love you_, and every day he wished he spoke those words, wished he could still speak those words. He chose her and this wasn't fair.

"_Villains don't get happy endings, Robin,"_ her words rang out in his head and he hates that she probably still believed that to be true. Hates that he's likely the reason she still believes that.

He looked over at the telephone on the table beside him, he wanted to call her, wanted to hear her voice but that wouldn't be fair. Wouldn't be fair to Marian and definitely wouldn't be fair to her, so instead he gets up and starts his day. Its routine and he's grown comfortable with it, but still he longs for more.

He showers and shaves, wakes Roland and then Marian, and then, he's off.

Refusing to leave rural Maine in hopes that one day the curse will be lifted and he'll be able to return to Storybrooke and to Regina, Robin found work as a greens keeper in a local park, he helped ensure the parks are were clean and the grass was trimmed, he didn't consider it to be hard work but it paid their bills. Marian too found work, four days a week she delivered food to children at the local hospital.

Marian always had a way with children and she was always a fast learner, she had picked up on the ways of this land much faster than Robin had and he couldn't help but feel slight resentment towards Marian for that reason. He had left Storybrooke because he didn't think it would be fair to leave Marian to tend for herself in an unknown world but yet, she had done a far better job at coping with the new world than he had. Much like Roland, she loved the convenience of this world and had grown used to it rather quickly.

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Robin walked through the front door of their small apartment and the aroma of food quickly fills his nostrils, he smiles at Marian as he says hello then greets a happy Roland with a 'hello my boy' and a kiss to the head,

"Momma's making lasagna" he says enthusiastically, "just like Regina did!"

That's all it takes, just the mention of her name has Robin's heart aching, his body suddenly overcome with overwhelming grief for the love he lost. He thought grieving Marian was hard, but nothing could have prepared him for the pain of losing his soul mate.

"Is she?" he finally asks, hoping his son doesn't hear the sorrow in his voice and hoping Marian doesn't hear the disappointment, but he knows she does and he feels ashamed.

"Uh huh!" His shaggy brown hair shaking with each fierce nod of head, his smile brightening the room and as much as the mention of Regina hurts, seeing that smile on his son's face is the only thing in the world that make the days go by. He smiles at Roland, and he knows that the smile doesn't reach his eyes the way it should and he hates himself for it, hates that even though he has his son with him he feels a part of himself is missing and hates that he feels that way every day that he walks to the edge of town and sees nothing but open road.

Robin is so caught up in his own thoughts, of Regina, or Roland of the family they could've had that he doesn't realize that Roland is still talking to him, it isn't until he feels a slight tug at the hem of his shirt that he realizes that Roland is trying to get his attention, thankfully Marian interrupts and asks Roland for some help in the kitchen, _do you want to help momma put the cheese on the lasagna_?, she asks and Roland excitedly says yes and runs toward the kitchen.

Their eyes meet briefly and Robin can't help but feel a twang of guilt when he sees the hurt in her eyes, still, he mouths a thank you to her before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

.

After dinner Robin tucks Roland into bed and heads to the small balcony in their apartment. It's become routine for him, standing on the balcony, staring into the forest, hoping that one day he'll see a town in the distance, a way back home.

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears the balcony door slide open behind him, he moves down a little so she would have space, "you'll find a way back to her, Robin"

Robin turns to meet the sad expression on Marian's face and he can't help the guilt that washes over him, he's caused her this pain, he's here with her but his heart is with someone else, "Marian, I crossed the town line to be with you. I knew when I crossed that there would be no way back…"

"I returned from death," she chuckles as her eyes light up a little, "never doubt that one day you'll find your way back to Regina. You deserve to be happy." She places a hand on his shoulder and smiles at him sweetly, "it's a little cold out here, how about we go inside and I'll make us some tea?"

Robin follows Marian inside and takes a seat at the kitchen table while Marian makes her way around the kitchen. He gladly accepts the warm cup when it's handed to him and says a gracious thank you before taking his first sip bracing himself for the conversation he knows is coming. They haven't spoken of his relationship with Regina in depth, he told her that he tried to keep away for a while but it didn't work, told her of the lengths Regina went to in order to make her survive and how that only made him fall harder. He told her of the night in the vault, apologized for being unfaithful to his vows, but there was still so much that she didn't know and he knew she had questions.

"When we moved here I thought maybe that you and I had a chance at a life again, that we could be a family for Roland…" Robin's eyes shot up to meet Marian's, and he watched as her expression changed from pain to understanding. "But I've realized that it'll never happen. It's in the way you looked at her, the way you look when you think of her, the look of both love and turmoil that spreads across your face when she's mentioned- you never looked at me that way," she smiles sadly, "she's special to you and it's more than you're letting on, isn't it?"

"Yes." His words are quiet, almost if he's afraid to speak, afraid of the emotions that he knows will overtake his body but he goes on anyways, tells her of Tinkerbell and of his tattoo, the lost night at the pub, of the storybook, of page 23. "She's more than just my true love, she's my soul mate, and I've lost her, again."

"Oh, Robin." Marian's words are quiet and there are tears in her eyes and he realizes he can't read her expression, can't tell if the tears are from his admission that another woman was his soul mate or if they're because she's sorry for his pain. She reaches out and places her hand on top of his, gently. It's comforting, it's familiar, and that's when it dawns on him, this was the first real conversation he and Marian have had since leaving Storybrooke, he had been so caught up in his own sorrow that he didn't take Marian into account, her feelings, her emotions, her pain. She too had lost someone she loved, she lost her husband and yet, she was comforting him, "you'll find each other, Robin. Don't give up."

.

Months passed, seasons changed and before he knows it, it's nearing winter again but still, nothing has changed. He walks to the edge of town daily and there's still no proof, other than his constant heartache, that Storybrooke ever existed. Roland has started school and is getting along quite well, but still, he misses Will and Little John, and often asks about Henry.

Robin is never sure how to answer his son, tries to shield him from the pain of losing people he loves as much as possible, but it's harder than he anticipated, Roland's memories of Storybrooke are vivid, and there's only so much Robin can do.

He gets ready for work, there's far less to do now that the weather is cooler, not many people visit the park but still, he finds work, mostly patrolling the camping grounds now, ensuring that all fires are done safely and that everyone is okay.

He returns home from work surprised to see the apartment empty, Marian and Roland usually home by the time he gets in and when they aren't, she often leaves him a note but today, there's nothing. He doesn't read too much into it, instead he grabs a beer out of the fridge and turns on the basketball game. He watches the game until his attention is pulled to a folded piece of paper on the coffee table, maybe Marian had left a note after all. He reached over and unfolded it and he felt all the air leave his lungs. It wasn't a note from Marian.

There in his hands he held page 23 of Henry's storybook, the same page that he had last seen when he handed it to Regina, when he had chosen hope and love over obligation.

He ran to the balcony, hoping that in the distance he would see more than trees and he couldn't help the tears that fell from his face when he looked out and saw it; in the distance there was a town, a town that wasn't there this morning. He's found her; he can finally get back to her.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his cell phone ringing, he saw Marian's name flash across the screen and he quickly answered, "Marian…"

"Robin, you need to come to the edge of town, now." Marian's voice was laced with joy, excitement and optimism.

A smile spreads across his face as he grabs his jacket from the back of the sofa, "I'm on my way."

.

He made his way toward the edge of town; smiled when he saw Roland running toward him, his little hands tugging at his Robin's the moment he got near enough, "c'mon daddy, We can go back! Storybrooke is there!"

Robin stopped when he saw the green sign that read Welcome to Storybrooke, it was real. It was there, she was now within his reach and he wanted nothing more than to run across the border and straight to her house, but he stops and looks at Marian who is smiling widely at him, nodding at him, telling him to go.

"Marian…"

"Robin, go. I'll stay here, take Roland to see Little John, Friar Tuck and Will, then go find her."

"But Roland just got you back, I can't possibly take him away from you now, or take you away from him, it's not fair…"

"Robin, I'm sure you can find a way to cure me, and if not, we can figure something out, but Robin?" He looks up at her and her smile widens, "I want a divorce."

He shakes his head in amusement as his own smile spreads across his face, he leans in hugs Marian, placing a soft kiss on her cheek as he whispers "thank you," she nods at him, and with tears in her eyes takes a step back from Robin and leans to Roland, "I love you, Roland, go with papa and be good. I'll see you soon, okay?"

Robin watches the interaction between mother and son and he prays that he can find a way to bring her back to Storybrooke, that there is a way she can survive there even with the remnants of the Snow Queen's inside of her.

He takes his son's hand after he says goodbye to his mother, Robin promises to have Roland call her as soon as possible and then they're stepping across the town line, but this time, there's no magic between the towns, he turns back and smiles at Marian once more who is grinning, "go," she says happily and that's all it takes.

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The next thing he knows he's running, running from the forest where he left his son with his Merry Men at camp, running past Granny's and the clock tower, he hears his name being called but he doesn't stop to talk to anyone. He's already lost enough time with her and he spent longer at the camp than he intended to and he refuses to wait another minute. He stops running only when he reaches the gates of the large white house, he takes a few deep breaths and tries to regain his composure but he knows there's no use, he's anxious and suddenly, it dawns on him, it's been a year since he's been gone. What if she's moved on, what if she's happy without him. _This isn't the time for what if's_, he tells himself, it's the time for the here and now and he breathes in deeply before making his way to her door. She's near, he can feel it, he can feel her presence and this is the most alive he's felt since he crossed the town line. Suddenly all his fears and doubts were gone and he's banging on her door, waiting for an answer.

It feels like he's been waiting forever, but it's only been a minute before her door opens and his breath hitches at the sight of her, she's dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a sweater, her makeup is done lightly but still, she takes his breath away.

"R-Robin?" her voice is shaky, as she reaches out and cups his face within her hands as if to check if he's really there. There are tears in her eyes but she smiles, and it's the most incredible thing he's ever seen, "what are you doing here?"

He looks at her, his own smile widening as tears well in his eyes, his voice is as unstable as Regina's but manages to answer "coming home," before he steps closer to her, pulling her into his arms as their lips finally meet. Their kiss is both tender and hungry, his hands find their way into her hair as hers drape around his waist, pulling him closer to her. They don't break their kiss until they're both panting for air, but their foreheads stay touching, "I'm home" he says, smiling.

"Home," she whispers as their lips meet again.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I'm probably the absolute worst at updating, and I'm sorry for the long wait I hope this you guys like this chapter. I just want to take a minute to thank everyone who followed/faved/reviewed this fic, the feedback was amazing; especially considering it was only my second OUAT/OQ fic. I went in a slightly different direction with this chapter than I did in the first, this happens over the course of one night as opposed to the year I had written for Robin's POV. **

**I don't own Regina or Robin or any of the characters of OUAT, I do however own any mistakes you find.**

**.**

Regina exhales deeply as she slumps into her sofa, letting her body become completely inundated with the warmth that radiates from the fire she decided to burn. The room was dim with only the flickering lights of the fire illuminating the large living room. It was still early in the winter and the town wasn't freezing but still, the roaring fire comforted her.

It was wasn't the sound of the embers or the dim flickering light that brought her comfort, no it was something more. It was the deep scent of burning wood that soothed her soul. It was woodsy and it was slightly overpowering, but it was the closest thing she had to _him_.

It had been a little over a year since she last saw Robin but her heart still ached for him, her mind still wandered to him, to Roland, to Marian. The woman she fought so hard to save only to fail and lose her true love, again.

It was redundant and frustrating- no matter how hard she tried she ended up on the losing end. Something that was obvious and used against her, _"you really think these people care for you Regina?"_ Maleficent's voice rang through her head,_"you'll always be the Evil Queen to them, and they'll always be on the edge waiting for you to screw up, anticipating your return to the evil person they know. You're not a hero, you're one of us."_She had almost listened, almost given in, almost allowed herself to give in to the temptation; it was easier being evil, easier rebuilding the walls that once protected and guarded her heart so securely.

She's ashamed of how close to the edge she let herself get but it was the thought of seeing disappointment, of hurt on Henry's face that changed her mind, _"once upon a time you were a villain mom, but you've changed. You're a hero now and defeating bad guys is what heroes do. I believe in you and you need to believe too."_ Henry's words played through her head; she lost far too much time with him to revert to her old ways and lose him again, so she pushed herself, and in the end came up victorious against her former friend.

She wouldn't say she was completely miserable without Robin, she had Henry who filled her life with more joy than she could ever explain and she had the Charmings who basically adopted her into their little family of heroes. She was grateful for their attempts of inclusion but sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if they only did it so she wouldn't have too much time alone with her thoughts, with the temptation of turning her anger and loneliness outwards and on the rest of the town.

That's where she came from tonight, dinner with the Charmings, where Mary Margaret decided that she no longer wanted to be mayor and urged Regina to run, "it's always been your job, Regina. No one's cut out for it as much as you are," she smiled sweetly, assumingly.

Regina agreed to think about, and she was definitely leaning towards re-running for mayor, no one knew the town quite like she did but the idea that appealed to her the most was the idea of doing something. Of not being idle and spending her days longing for Robin Hood and the family she envisioned for them.

She may not have been completely miserable but she was still lonely. Lonely in a way that was harder than usual- surrounded by people yet completely alone. No matter what she did she was surrounded by happiness and love, things she apparently couldn't have.

She missed him more than she'd allow herself to show, she refused to show weakness in around so many people who she wasn't sure had even forgiven her yet, but in the confides of her own house, she allowed herself to feel the pain, to shed tears and to yearn for her lost love, her soulmate. She reached beneath the couch and pulled the iron framed picture of she and Robin out. Her thumbs padded along the edges of the frame and her vision focused on the smiles on their faces as she allowed a few tears to fall.

She's still not sure how Granny gotten the picture of them from the hallway of the inn but she no longer cared, she was happy that she had something to remember him by.

When he crossed the town line she lost a piece of herself, lost a piece of a heart and she wanted it back. Wanted the pain to subside, wanted the emptiness to pass. She wanted to yell and scream, wanted to break things, set things ablaze but that would make falling back into old habits too easy so instead she pushed through the pain and tried to get her life back to normal.

She shut her eyes and let the soothing sound and scent of the fire burning in front of her calm her before reaching for the mug of peppermint tea that she placed on the coffee table in front of her, sighing contently as the warm liquid flowed through her body. She allowed her mind to wander back to their last night together, it was raw and passionate but it still managed to be tender, she shuddered slightly as she remembered the way his lips trailed along her collarbones, up her neck and to edge of her jaw before their lips and bodies met, merging into one.

Regina was no stranger to lust filled nights but the feeling of wholeness that came from being with Robin was unlike anything Regina had ever imagined, being with him set her entire body ablaze and awoken her soul. She knew no other man could ever make her feel the way he did, and frankly, she didn't care. Emma and Mary Margaret had been pushing her to start dating again but she avidly rejected their proposals, aside from Robin and Tinkerbell no one knew about the man with the lion tattoo, the man she was destined to be with, the man she had _lost_ and she wanted to keep it that way, she didn't need any more looks of sadness, of pity.

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She stirs from her spot on the sofa with her frayed copy of _Wuthering Heights_ in her hand when she feels a chill run down her spine. She stands hastily and pokes at the fire a little before sitting back down and finding her spot in the novel she's already memorized, but for some reason she can't focus, something's different, something's changed but she can't figure out what it is.

Her eyes immediately widen in concern, could it be another enemy, another danger to the town? Things had finally calmed down after the downfall of the 'Queens of Darkness' and truthfully she was exhausted, emotionally and physically and just could not handle another tempt at evil, another battle because she was sure this time she would lose.

She tried her hardest to focus but found it impossible; she grew anxious and realized she was now waiting, waiting for someone to call her and tell her that something unexpected happened and they needed her help, waited to hear someone banging at her door, waiting for someone to come and snatch away the little peace of mind she had, but minutes passed and nothing happened.

She inhaled deeply and convinces herself that nothing has happened that she's just nervous and tired, and buries herself once again in her favourite novel.

By the time Regina is able to calm herself down she hears it, a loud banging on her front door. She clenches her fists and shakes her head, wishing this wasn't happening- she just wanted a little peace, a little quiet, a little time to deal with everything that has happened throughout her life but she knows that day would never come. She stands slowly and makes her way to the front door.

She opens the door without checking who it was and as soon as the door is fully open all the air in her lungs empty, "R-Robin?" she can hear her voice shaking but can't help it, _this can't be real_, she says to herself, _he can't really be here_. She reaches out and cups his face in her hands and he's really there. She feels tears welling in her eyes as he smiles widely at her, "what are you doing here?" she asks, completely taken aback.

"Coming home." His smile widens as he steps forward, closing the gap between them as he wraps his arms around Regina's waist, pulling her flush against his body, their lips meeting hungrily.

His hands eventually move from her waist and into her hair as her arms drape around his waist, pulling him closer to her. She moaned into the kiss and Robin took full advantage, deepening their kiss.

They separated only when they both needed air, but their foreheads stay touching, neither of them wanting to lose the contact that they had, "I'm home." He's smiling and there are unshed tears in his eyes and all Regina can do is nod.

"Home," she whispers as she shakes her head astonished with what was happening before their lips meet again. This time their kiss is needy, their hands running along each other's bodies, Regina's hands instinctively find their way under Robin's shirt and land on his chest and Robin cups her ass and groans. That's all it takes, before they can even break their kiss they are engulfed in a cloud of purple smoke and are now standing in Regina's bedroom instead of the front foyer.

"Wasting no time are we m'lady?" he smirks, and Regina can' help but get lost in the sight of his dimples.

"No," she says as she looks up at him from beneath her eyelashes and bites her bottom lip before pulling her shirt above her head. She watches as his pupils dilate as he stalks toward her, pressing his lips against hers and backing her onto the large plush bed.

.

They lay wrapped in each other's arms, Regina's head resting on Robin's chest and she's listening intently to the sound of his beating heart. _He's really here_, she thinks, _but how?_ "Robin?"

"Mmhm?"

She shifts so she's no longer lying on his chest but looking in his eyes, "how are you here?"

Robin inhales deeply before shifting to an upright position, his back resting comfortably against the backboard and he pulls her up with him before he begins explaining the past year to her. He doesn't leave a single detail out, he tells her of his work at the park, tells her of the way he would walk to the edge of town and the way he would he spend hours staring into nothingness from the balcony hoping that one day he'd see Storybrooke in the distance.

He shifts a little more and reaches over the edge of the bed and grabs his jacket. His hands searching for something in his pocket and then he hands her the folded piece of paper that he just pulled out of his pocket.

Regina inhales deeply and she feel the air leave her lungs again. It was page 23 of Henry's book, the same page she had ripped when he crossed the town line.

"I found this tonight and when I ran to the balcony, I could see a town in the distance that wasn't there earlier and I knew I had found my way back to you."

"But Roland, where is he? And Marian?"

Robin intertwined his fingers with Regina's and brought them to his lips and plants a tender kiss on her knuckles before turning his attention back to her, "I left Roland at the camp with John, Tuck and Will, however, he's going to want to see you in the morning" he smiled briefly before his expression sombered slightly, "Marian… she didn't come across the town line with us. She insisted I come to you and that I allow Roland to see the Merry Men. I promised her I would try to find a way for her to come back but I don't know how."

Regina nodded understandingly and smiled at Robin, "we'll figure it out. We'll go see Gold tomorrow, I'm sure he can find a way to save her."

"Do you truly think he'd help?"

Regina nods as she wraps her arms around Robin's waist, pulling his body closer to hers, "he has to, he owes me a favor and we all know Mr. Gold never breaks a deal."

Regina watches as Robin's expression changes from worry to relief and smiles as she buries her face into his chest, "I've missed you" she whispers quietly.

"I've missed you too Regina, more than you'll ever know and I'm never leaving you again." He gently cups her chin between his thumb and index finger bringing their eyes together, "I love you, Regina Mills."

Regina feels tears build in her eyes and smiles at Robin, this is the first time that those words didn't break her heart, he no longer had a wife that that he was obligated to, he was back, he was home and she couldn't be happier, "I love you too," she tears a single tear roll down her cheek as Robin's lips meet hers sweetly before they allow their bodies to finally give into exhaustion and fall asleep wrapped in the arms of their soulmate.


End file.
